Dear Ayden,

Some time ago I also was using the gelatin capsules, but please
take care. They can get moist and then you can't use them any more.
Instead now I am using small glasstubes for my microshells, special
for the landshells.
with best regards and hoping to hear from you soon.
Helmut from Innsbruck

Helmut Nisters
Franz-Fischer-Str. 46
A-6020 Innsbruck / Austria / Europe
phone and fax: 0043 / 512 / 57 32 14
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
url: www.netwing.at/nisters/

or

Natural History Department of the
Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum Innsbruck
malacological collection
Feldstr. 11a
A-6020 Innsbruck / Austria / Europe
phone: 0043 / 512 / 58 72 86-37

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Several people mentioned using gelatin capsules to store small shells. I
bought mine from a company called BioQuip in California. A bag of 100 capsules
was for $2.40 (they are also available from drug stores, but may cost more).
BioQuip sells supplies mainly for entomologists, but most of that stuff is
useful for shell collectors as well. For picking up small & fragile shells, I
recommend their "featherweight forceps". Another useful item for storing small
shells is what they call "sorting trays", which are actually clear plastic
culture dishes with multiple compartments and lids. The ones with larger
compartments are also suitable for keeping small live snails. The last time I
checked, their catalog was not on the Internet, but you can get it by calling
310-324-0620 (e-mail: bioquip@aolcom). I think their address was something
like www.bioquip.com.

One cautionary statement about gelatin capsules. I have noticed that static
electricity makes very small shells stick to the capsules. So, it's a good
idea to write on a small piece of paper the number of shells in the capsule,
along with a catalog number, and place this in the capsule with the shells.
Otherwise, you may think that you have gotten everything out when one or more
shells are left behind.

One nice thing about gelatin capsules is that they are clear enough for coarse
details to be seen without taking the shells out. This is very useful when I
am demonstrating to someone how small shells could be. I have some juvenile
Punctum minutissimum that are barely a mm across. So rather than take them out
& risk losing them, I hand the person a magnifying glass & let them look at
the shells thru the capsule.

A.